X38 Comparison Part 2: DDR3 Motherboards

Conclusion

The Asus Maximus Extreme is the clear winner in today's competition for two reasons: first, it has a miniscule performance advantage, and second, it's the only X38 Express motherboard we tested that was capable of the same tight CAS 5 latencies at DDR3-1333 that had previously set the standard in P35 testing. Memory stability is the killer feature, as none of the other X38 Express motherboards fully lived up to expectations Compare Prices on Motherboards.

Foxconn's X38A made a surprising comeback with its minor BIOS tweaks, and we expect even more from this company given a bit of added development time. Foxconn is hoping to lowball high-priced competitors like Asus and Gigabyte, so the board may eventually become a top value for CrossFire-equipped systems.

Because it was the only DDR3-supporting X38 Express motherboard to meet all of our stability criteria, the Asus Maximus Extreme wins our Editor's Choice award.

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Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.